Dispensing machine



April 1940- F. c. DU GRENIER 2,197,633

DISPENSING MACHINE Patented Apr. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE DISPENSING MACHINE Francis 0. Du Grenier, Haverhill, Mass., assignor of one-half to Blanche E. Bouchard, Haverhill,

Lit

Mass.

Application December 6, 1938, Serial No. 244,275

2 Claims.

This invention relates to certain improvements on the dispensing machine of 1 my prior Patent No. 2,128,181, dated August 23, 1938, in which the capacity of some or allof the front compartments 2' is effectively increased by a corresponding num.-

ber of supplemental compartments, the arrangement being such that, when the packages in a front compartment have nearly all been dispensed, the corresponding supplemental compartment will automatically -be swung forwardinto operative relation with the lower end portion thereof, so that the packages in the supplemental compartment may then be dispensed.

While the operation of the machine above referred to is satisfactory, the servicing has been found to be diflicult. That is, with the construction shown it has been found diificult and inconvenient to place the packages in the supplemental compartments on account of their location and the object of the present invention is to-provide a construction which will enable the supplemental compartments to be filled with packages as 'easily as the front compartments may be filled.

I accomplish this object by providing an arrangement which permits each supplemental compartment to be readily moved into coincidental relation with its corresponding front compartment, both compartments being open at their front sides and the front compartment being open at its rear side, so that the supplemental compartment may be readily filled while in coincidental relation and may then be pushed back into its normal position with the packages therein, after which the front compartment may then be completely filled in the usual manner, this operation being performed on each supplemental and front compartment until they have all-been filled.

' For a more complete disclosure of the particular construction which is employed, reference is now made to the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view at line I--I of Fig. 5, showing the parts in position for filling a supplemental compartment.

Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views on lines 2-2 and 3-3, respectively, of. Fig. 4, showing different positions of the supplemental compartment.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view showing all the compartments filled except one.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing all the compartments empty.

Fig. 6 is'a view in elevation of the back side of the compartments.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of one of the supplemental compartments.

While my present invention may be illustrated in connection with a single front and rear compartment, in practice the number which may be employed may be varied according to requirements.

.As shown in the drawings seven front compartments are illustrated the middle three of which each have an auxiliary or supplemental compartment in the rear thereof. A casing l encloses the end front compartments and extends rearward at the middle portion to enclose the supplemental compartments. Two vertical partitions ll form the sides of the middle front compartment and extend rearward to the casing ID, to which they are secured and they also form one side of the next adjacent front compartment. Partitions l2 form the sides of all the other front compartments and the two compartments at each end have rear walls l3. All the front compartments are open at their front sides except that they are partly closed by package retaining flanges M. The rear sides of the three middle front compartments are open.

The supplemental compartments are illustrated in detail in Fig. 7, each comprising side walls l and a rear wall. The side walls of the middle compartment are fitted to slide between the partitions l l and the side walls of the other two are fitted to slide between the partitions II and the adjacent partitions 12. All of said supplemental compartments are open at their front sides except that the side walls are inturned to form package retaining flanges IS. The three supplemental compartments are pivotally mounted on a shaft I6 the ends of which rest in notches H formed in brackets l8 which are secured to the outersides of easing It).

With the above described construction, each supplemental compartment is adapted to swing forwardly on the pivot shaft It to the inclined position of Fig. 2, inwhich position its lower end is in register with the lower portion of the compartment which is directly in front of it. Also by lifting the shaft 16 from its notches I! all the supplemental compartments may be moved forward bodily so that they coincide with the corresponding front compartments, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, throughout their entire length.

A spring arm 20 is attached to the casing ID in the rear of each supplemental compartment and acts through an opening in the casing to swing the compartment which it engages forwardly, unless restrained by packages in the compartment in front of it. A common form of package ejector 22 is provided at the bottom of each front compartment and any suitable coin released mechanism (not shown) is provided which permits the ejectors to be pushed rearward to eject the packages in the usual manner. A pivoted finger 24 is arranged in the rear of each compartment, so that as a package is ejected it will cause the finger to be swung rearward against the action of a spring 26.

An arm 28 projects from finger 24 and a rod 30 is pivoted at its lower end to each arm 28 which is located beneath a supplemental compartment and extends upward thru a guiding bracket 32, so that, as finger 2 3 swings rearward, said rod 3i] will be pushed upward. A roll 33 is provided on the upper endof rod 30 which is arranged to engage an inclined bracket 341 on the lower end of the compartment. Under normal conditions when a front compartment is filled above the lower end of the supplemental compartment in the rear thereof the latter will be swung forward slightly by its spring 28 and will be held against a package in the front compartment. When a package is ejected from the latter, the rod will be pushed upward causing the roll-33 to engage the bracket 35 and thereby causing the supplemental compartment to be withdrawn from engagement with the restraining package, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the packages'in the front compartment will be permitted to feed down, the action being the same as that described in my said patent.

All the compartments are enclosed in an outer casing having a front door 35, which is opened to gain access to the interior. The compartments are preferably arranged so that they may be tilted forwardly to a position indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 1 when the door is opened.

Assuming that the compartments are empty, or nearly so, the service man opens the door and tilts the compartments forward and then with his fingers engages the projecting ends of shaft H3 and lifts it from the notches H and then pulls it forward, so that all the supplemental compartments are moved into coincidence with the compartments in front thereof, as shown in Figs. v1 and. 5. The lower portion. of the front compartment is then filled and the entire supplemental compartment therein is also filled. When all the supplemental compartments have thus been filled the shaft [6 is then pushed back to the position in the notches l! or to the position of Fig. 2. Then each supplemental compartment is pushed back to the position of Fig. 3 and one or two packages are inserted in the front compartment to hold them in this position. When this has been done the filling of the front compartments may then be completed and the parts returned to normal position.

The filling operation of the supplemental compartments may thus be accomplished as readily and conveniently as the filling of the front compartments.

I claim:

1. In a dispensing machine comprising a casing have a vertically disposed front compartment walls slidably fitted to the walls of the front compartment, said supplemental compartment having a readily detachable pivotal connection at its upper end with said casing and having a package retaining edge fiange at its front side and being open from top to bottom at the edge of said flange, whereby, on detachment of said pivotal connection, said supplemental compartment may be moved bodily into coincident relation with said front compartment throughout the entire length of said supplemental compartment, to permit con venient filling thereof, said supplemental compartment terminating short of .the front compartment at its lower end and having means for supporting thepackages therein when in its rear-most position, and automatic means for moving the lower portion thereof into said front compartment when the packages in the latter have been dispensed to a predetermined extent.

2. Ina dispensing machine comprising a casing having a plurality of package receiving front compartments, each having side Walls and being open at their front and rear sides, package ejecting means at the lower end of each compartment, a supplemental package receiving compartment disposed directly in the rear of each front compartment, each having side walls slidably fitted to the walls of its corresponding front compartment, a pivot shaft engaged with the top portion of each of said supplemental compartments and having projecting end portions and said casing having recesses in which said end portions normally rest, said supplemental compartments each having a. package retaining edge flange at its front side and being open from top to bottom at the edge thereof, whereby said supplemental compartments may be simultaneously moved into coincident relation with the corresponding front compartments throughout the entire lengths of said supplemental compartments, to permit convenient filling, said supplemental compartments terminating short of their corresponding front compartments at their lower ends and having means for supporting the packages therein when'in their rearmost positions, and automatic means for moving the lower portion of each supplemental compartment into its corresponding front compartment when the packages in the latter have been dispensed to a predetermined extent.

FRANCIS C. DU GRENIER. 

